Mounting arrangement for clocks and like devices



July 23, 1957 F. GIANASCOL MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR CLOCKS AND LIKE DEVICES Filed Au so. 1955 lNvENTur':

FraNk Eiawascnl MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR CLOCKS AND LIKE DEVICES This invention relates to improvements in the mountings of objects and, more specifically, to arrangements enabling the mounting of clocks, pictures, displays and the like upon vertical or horizontal surfaces. Such items are often produced in shapes which prevent them from being rested upon horizontal surfaces in proper position for viewing, and they are commonly manufactured in form suitable for but one of wall and table mountings exclusively. In accordance with my present teachings, however, objects of this nature may be readily arranged upon either type of'surface, and may be conveniently packaged in compact disassembled form and simply assembled for mounting upon being unpackaged.

In particular, my invention may be practised advantageously with objects having large frontal portions and only relatively small enclosures for actuating mechanisms, illuminating lamps, etc., in the rear. For example, one current trend in clock design calls for the use of a large clock face, the usual timing mechanism itself requiring but a small space behind the clock face. In such instances, I enclose the timing mechanism within a suitably small casing, preferably of a common plastic material such as Bakelite, having a rear wall surface parallel with the face portion. This casing is centrally afiixed to the rear of the larger face portion and the rear wall is provided with an aperture which will receive a hook for wall mounting of the clock. Additionally, there are provided in the rear Wall two deep and acurately shaped elongated slots which are disposed essentially vertical when the clock is in its normal position for viewing. Two support legs of suitable length and likewise preferably formed of an inexpensive plastic material each have one end portion of a shape complementing that of the slots, though slightly larger, such that these ends may be forced firmly into the slots manually. Beyond these end portions the legs are shaped to engage the rear surface of the casing and thus aid in the support of the clock. Together with the bottom of the face portion, these support legs provide points for stable mounting of the clock upon horizontal surfaces.

It is thus one of the objects of the present invention to provide simple, inexpensive and improved mounting arrangements, forming part of devices such as clocks and the like, which afford ready assembly and disassembly and which permit support upon either horizontal or vertical surfaces.

Other objects and features of this invention, as well as further details thereof, may be best perceived through reference to the following description made in connection with the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front pictorial view of a clock embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the same device illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detailed and partly cross-sectioned view of part of the mechanism casing of a device such as that 2,799,986 Patented July 23, 1957 shown in Figures 1 and 2, with supporting legs in mated positions;

Figure 4 is a pictorial detail of a slotted boss portion of a casing;

Figure 5 illustrates the mating end portion of a support leg; I

Figure 6 provides a detail of part of a further supporting leg construction; and

Figure 7 pictures from the rear another object embodying the teachings of my invention.

Referring to the clock construction portrayed in Figures 1 and 2, it is noted that the relatively large face or dial portion 10 thereof cooperates with a smaller plastic mechanism casing 11 afiixed centrally and rearwardly and housing the elements which actuate the hour, minute, and second hands 12, 13 and 14 respectively. The rearmost wall 15 of the casing 11 is essentially parallel with the dial portion such that, in the absence of the plastic support legs 16 and 17, the clock may lie flat against a vertical wall and present the dial in appropriate position for viewing. The shape and proportions of the various components would obviously preclude proper table mounting of this device where the support legs 16 and 17 not present. Heretofore it has been known to make the mechanism casing of such devices of about the same cross-sectional size as the dial portion and of such shape that the device could either be rested stably upon a fiat horizontal surface or hung upon a wall, but the mechanism casing is then usually of an unnecessary size for the volume of parts contained within it, or, if the dial portion is of generous dimensions, the casing would be wastefully and unattractively large. Further, many designs are significantly more pleasing to the eye when support legs form a part of the construction. Accordingly, the support legs 16 and 17 are shaped not onlyto provide lower resting portions 18 and 19 but to mate firmly with and to be readily detachable from the back Wall 15 of casing 11. The bottom surface 20 of the clock dial portion 10 itself provides a third resting point for the device.

In Figure 3, the legs 16 and 17 are illustrated in their mated engagement with the thin casing 11, the latter being provided with thicker sections or reinforcing bosses 21 in which elongated channels or closed-bottom slots are formed. A lengthwise cross-sectional detail of such a slot, 22, is depicted in Figure 4. While these elongated slots may be slightly inclined, they are disposed such that their longitudinal axes are substantially vertical when the mounted device is set upon a horizontal surface. The bottom surface 23 of each slot 22 is shaped and located for abutting engagement with the end surface 24 of the mating end of a support leg, such as the end 25 of leg 17 portrayed in Figures 3 and 5. The depth of slot 22 is the same as the length of the similarly-shaped leg mating end 25, and the adjoining portion 26 of each leg is made somewhat larger than this end such that it will rest against the back wall 11 and contribute to the supporting action. This effect is discussed further in connection with the embodiment shown in Figure 6. The height dimension 27 of mating end 25 is about the same as the length of slot 22, although the widths of the two mating portions differ. The somewhat deformable plastic leg 1'7 in Figure 5 is molded such that it protrudes, as indicated by reference characters 28, beyond the dimension 29 which corresponds to the width of slots 22. Thus as the mating end 25 of leg 17 is manually inserted into the mating slot 22 the protuberances 28 are deformed slightly by virtue of pressures exerted by the side walls of slot 22, which side walls also tend to yield by small amounts. The resulting fit is one which maintains the leg 17 firmly in place, although it may be extracted under infiuence of suficient pulling force and simultaneous rocking movement. Packaging of such clocks is eased when the legs 16 and 17 are not in the mated positions, and the assembly is most simply and readily per? formed without tools. Conversion to wall mounting, as by use of a wall hook cooperating with the accommodating aperture in the back wall of casing 11, is realized quickly merely by withdrawing the legs from the casing.

Support legs may be more accurately located on the receiving surfaces of the supported device if a sizable flat surface is formed next to the mating end portions of the legs. In Figure 6, for example, the upper end of a support 31 is shown to have an integrally-molded disklike portion 32 adjacent to the mating end 33, the surface 34 being flat such that it will abut and rest upon the flat back-wall surface of a casing with which the Support is mated. Better positioning and support of leg 31 can result than in the case of the earlier-described legs 16 and 17, although the enlarged portions 26 thereof function in a like manner.

In those instances where the lower edge of the front face or" a device is shaped to afford more than a single support point, as in the case of the illuminated picture display arrangement shown in Figure 7, only a single support leg, 35 may be employed. Stability of the mounting is realized through the support provided by the straight lower edge 36 of the large front frame 37. A switch 38, or other control member, may be mounted along the side of the small back casing 39, where it is accessible when the device is mounted either upon a wall, through use of the mounting aperture 40, or upon a horizontal surface.

Although specific embodiments have been referred to in connection with the foregoing detailed description, my invention is not to be understood as being limited to these.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The construction of clocks and like display devices comprising a substantially flat frontal display portion, a relatively smaller mechanism casing aflixed to said frontal portion in spaced relationship to edges thereof, said casing being provided with a substantially, planar wall disposed such that said frontal display portion may be viewed when said planar wall rests against a vertical surface, said casing having at least one slot opening to an exterior surface thereof, at least one support leg having a deformable end shaped for sliding fit into mating engagement with the surfaces of said casing forming the boundaries of said slot, said mating end of said support leg being proportioned with dimensions larger than dimensions of said slot, and said slot and mating end being shaped to preclude twisting of said leg from a predetermined relationship with said casing, whereby an edge of said frontal portion and said leg provide support for said device upon a horizontal surface when said 4 mating end of said leg is manually pressed into mating engagement with said casing through said slot.

2. The construction of clock and like display devices comprising a substantially flat display portion, a relatively smaller mechanism casing affixed to said display portion in spaced relationship to edges thereof, said casing being provided with a substantially planar wall disposed such that said display portion may be viewed when said planar wall rests against a vertical surface, said casing having at least one slot opening to the exterior surface of said planar wall, at least one support leg having an end of deformable material shaped for sliding fit into mating engagement in a predetermined relationship with the surfaces of said casing forming the boundaries of said slot, said leg having an enlarged portion adjacent said mating end which abuts and supports said casing wall when said leg and casing are in mated engagement, said mating end of said support leg being proportioned with dimensions larger than dimensions of said slot, whereby an edge of said display portion and said leg provide support for said device upon a horizontal surface when said deformable mating end of said leg is manually pressed into mating engagement with said casing through said slot.

3. The construction of clock and like devices comprising a substantially fiat display portion, a relatively smaller hollow molded plastic casing affixed to said display portion in spaced relationship to edges thereof, said casing having a thin and substantially planar Wall disposed such that said display portion may be viewed when said planar wall rests against a vertical surface, said casing having at least one reinforcing boss molded integral with and extending inwardly from said planar Wall, at lcast one closed-bottom slot extending into said boss and opening to the exterior of said wall, said slot being elongated in a direction which is parallel with said Wall and which extends substantially vertically when said display portion is disposed vertically in position for viewing, at least one separable molded plastic support leg having-an end of shape complementing that of said slot and having dimensions slightly greater than dimensions of said slot, whereby said mating end of said support le may be manually pressedinto rigid mating engagement with said casing through said slot such that said support leg and an edge of said display portion will support said device for display upon a horizontal surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 607,104 Whitehead July 12, 1898 1,176,840 Lewis Mar. 28, 1916 1,781,782 Kemp Nov. 18, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS 101,446 Switzerland Sept. 17, 1923 

